The subject invention relates to public seating of the type found in theaters, auditoriums, and concert halls or the like wherein it is desired to provide enhanced comfort to the patron with quality cushioning and rocking effect. A typical installation of this type of seat is found in modern movie theaters wherein the individual seats are side-by-side providing armrests and movement of a rocking nature at the patron's election.
One type of prior art seat provides individual and interconnected chairs in row-like fashion with spaced sides extending upwardly and terminating in an armrest with pivotally mounted seats and backs interconnected to said sides. A rocker mechanism was provided having a bracket and arm interconnectably attached to the seat and back, there being a non metallic leaf spring secured to the lower portion of the bracket at one end in cantilever fashion, the opposite end being secured in cantilever fashion to the base or stationary mounting member by which the seat was supported.
The patron, upon sitting in the seat, would be provided with both a cushioning and rocking motion as the seat and back flex in a fashion similar to the operation of a diving board.
The above arrangement was initially designed with a metal spring which tended to fatigue and ultimately fail. This was replaced with a non metallic leaf spring which did not fail, but nonetheless fatigued quite rapidly to the point where the seat became overly susceptible to rocking. The spring lost its resiliency; and hence the rocking action became mushy, and the patron experienced undesirable rocking. Also, because of the cantilevered configuration of the spring, the rearward rotation of the seat and back caused undue rotation of the patron depending on the person's size such that the user's feet would rotate up off the floor in an undesired fashion.
Other drawbacks to the above-referenced seat were, over the course of time, undesired lateral movement of the seat along with its rocking motion. Inadequate stops were provided as well, allowing too much movement which resulted in uncushioned stopping of the seat when the forwardmost or rearwardmost extremity was reached.
While the seat employing the non metallic leaf spring seldom failed, rendering it useless, it became useless for its intended comfort providing purpose. Heretofore, the methodology used in constructing prior art seats also made it difficult to repair, adding an extra burden of cost in maintenance. Thus, there is a need for an improved rocker mechanism and the need for an improved control mechanism in seats of this type.